To make an authentic Irish Christmas Cake, you need both whiskey and patience—typically in equal abundance. The traditional yuletide cake is mixed and baked weeks before Christmas, wrapped, stored and "fed" a measure of whiskey each day. Once the cake has fully matured, it is frosted with royal icing and enveloped in a smooth sheet of Marzipan, sliced, and served with a pot of strong black tea.

A true Irish Christmas Cake is no mincing affair—it is dense, dark and heavy with dried fruit, spices, nuts and candied citrus peel. Our whiskey-drenched Christmas cake doesn't have the heft of its Irish cousin, but it it is a sublime sit-in. Serve it warm by the wedge with a scoop of melty Sorghum Frozen Yogurt or cooled with a mug of tea or coffee for a naughty (but nice) breakfast on Christmas morning.